Ben 10: Birthrite
by KairiHeartzX
Summary: Mysterious powers... The Darkest of Secrets revealed... Chaos at the hands of one being. This being could destroy the Universe at will. And now the fate of the Universe lies in the hands of Ben, Gwen, Max, and an unexpected addition to the 'team'.
1. Chapter 1

Darkness... Swirling memories diving in and out of focus... So near, yet so far...

_Serena!_

That familiar voice... She couldn't put a face to it.

_Serena!_

A _woman's_ voice... Why couldn't she remember?

_Serena, help!_

Pleading for her help... She shifted in the ever-lasting darkness, her world that she alone can enter, the only escape from the cruelties of a burdened soul...

"Serena!" This voice belonged to not a woman, but a man. Her father. "Get up, and get ready for school!"his voice carried clearly from the lower story, sounding as if he were in the room...

Serena grumbled as she opened her eyes, and sunlight shone in many beams through the shades of her window. She lazily got to her feet and stretched, before getting ready for another usual day at school. She was distracted: that was the third time she had had that dream in two weeks... Was it even a dream? Serena shook her head with a long sigh as she looked in her mirror. By first glance, one might think of her as abnormal, because the way she dressed wasn't quite like the other girls at her middle school. You could say... She had a gothic demeanor. Her black hair came down to just below her shoulders and her long bangs were parted at either side of her face. Her skin was pale, almost grey, and her eyes were a dark navy-blue( **A/N: **She looks very similiar to Raven from Teen Titans).

"Serena, hurry up!"

Serena grabbed her backpack from it's spot on the floor beside her desk and left her room for the first story of her house. Her father, who was a rather older-looking man, greeted her with a smile despite the fact that she was later than usual.

"Good morning," he said, placing a plate of eggs and toast on the table for Serena. She sat down and quietly ate. "You're quieter than usual, what's wrong?"her father's voice snapped Serena out of her sort-of "trance". She looked up from her half-eaten food, and shook her head without a word.

At a quarter to eight, Serena waved goodbye to her father and walked off to school. There were some good things about living where she did... For one, she lived ten minutes walking distance from her school, and for another...

"Hey, why aren't you flying your broomstick to school, 'Rena?"a girl her age with straight blonde hair and brown eyes came walking up from behind her with a sneer.

"I don't have a broomstick, _Sawyer_," was Serena's bitter reply. "And I've told you to stop calling me 'Rena. That's not my name."

Alright, there was only _one_ good thing about living where Serena did. The bad thing, was that she passed the house of one of her enemies on her way to school.

"It's your nickname!" Sawyer replied with an obviously fake tone of sweetness. Serena knew she'd never win this constant battle,so she quickened her pace. Only three more minutes until she reached her school... Sawyer quickened her pace as well, and Serena tuned out the annoying voice that spoke so constantly to her. Sawyer only spoke louder to annoy the living heck out of her, but found it futile so she finally gave up the moment they stepped into the hallways. She immediately parted from Serena and joined her group of real friends. Serena sighed as she gathered her notebook from her locker... It was going to start any second, now...

"Leave me alone!" A boy exclaimed as he ran down the hallways, away from the same bully that was always picking on him. One of his peers stuck their foot out and tripped him. Ben Tennyson crashed rather noisily to the tile floor, and JT(Is that the bully's name?? ) smirked.

"It's the last week of school before Summer Vacation, Tennyson, and you're gonna be who-knows-or-cares-where. I'm not letting you off that easy," JT said,pulling Ben up off of the floor by his arm. "You're gonna pay for that prank you pulled last week," JT growled, and Ben braced himself for yet another atomic wedgie, but instead he heard someone finally do something in his defense. Gwen punched JT in the side of his face, and he yelped as he held his cheek, stumbling away from Ben.

"Are you okay?" Gwen helped her cousin steady to his feet, and he nodded with a thankful smile.

"Thanks, Gwen," Ben said, dusting himself off. "I don't know what I'd do without-"he cut himself off when he noticed Serena staring at him with the same expressionless face she always had. Her stare seemed to freeze him on the spot, but he forced himself to look away after his cousin pointed out that they'd be late to class if they didn't get moving. The bell rang, and Serena silently strode to her first period class.

As Serena had expected, a few of her classmates stared at her the moment she stepped through the door, while the others had become accustomed to ignore her. She sat down at her desk without a sound as a young woman waited at the front of the class for the bell to ring. When it rang, the class fell silent, and Ms. Long began.

"Okay, so- Ms. Sawyer be quiet!"Ms. Long said, then continued with a sigh after Sawyer closed her mouth. "Okay... You all know that in two day's time it'll be Summer Vacation. And since you've already turned in your textbooks, I don't want to give you more homework. So, if you can control your voices, you may talk freely after the annoucements."

As if on cue, the principal's voice echoed from the speakers after a second of static. Serena tuned everything out at that moment as she took out a book from her backpack, and she read quietly to herself until the period was over. She got up from her seat and proceeded to her next class.

When lunch came around, Serena sat alone as always. She never minded being alone, having no friends... But for some very odd reason, it bothered her very much today. She didn't show it. A few of the kids flung food at her from a distance, but the food always missed and landed near the table she was sitting at during that day.

None of her peers called her by name, but as 'Rena, or many unsuitable names none of the authority figures would allow. Her name somehow became Taboo, thanks to the rumors spread by the infamous Sawyer that Serena practiced Voodoo and Black Magick. And, by using her real name, you'd provoke her to curse you.

But that was of course entirely untrue: Serena did not practice Voodoo or any type of Black Magick... But she indeed practiced the same Magic as Gwen Tennyson.


	2. Chapter 2

The entire school waited anxiously. It was the last few minutes of the last period of the last day of the entire school year. They all were silent as the clock ticked away... One second after the other... None of them could wait until that bell struck 12:00, when they were officially free to go and not come back until August. The minute hand inched closer to the 12, causing very many of the students to sit on the edge of their seats, prepared to run out of their classooms like wild animals. The one exception of her class, was Serena.

"Hey, 'Rena, aren't you excited about Summer?" Sawyer asked from the seat over. Serena looked momentarily away from her book to glance at Sawyer.

"Yes. I'm very excited to go and see some of my family." Serena replied in monotone, going back to her book.

"Why are you still reading?" Sawyer asked again, catching the attention of a few of their classmates.

"I promised my Uncle I'd read this entire book before I went to see him, and it'd just be a waste to stop reading it, now. I'm on the last few pages." Serena replied for the second time. Then, the bell rang, and Serena waited patiently as her classmates pushed and shoved past eachother to get out as the teacher yelled to be careful and have a nice summer. Serena then stood up after the students were gone, and began walking out herself.

"It was smart of you to wait until the rest of them were gone." the teacher said with an aggrivated sigh, and Serena nodded slightly before leaving the classroom and the building.

"Grandpa!" Ben and Gwen exclaimed happily in unision as Max stood at the front of the school to pick them up. They ran forward and hugged him tightly.

"You guys act as if you haven't seen me for years," Max said with a chuckle and he let his two grandkids go to look them over. It had actually only been during Christmas when he'd seen them last, but he still couldn't deny that they've both grown since last Summer, when Ben first got the Omnitrix. They were both a little taller, Gwen's hair now about half-way down to her shoulders, Ben's hair looking shaggier than normal, and Ben was about two inches taller than Gwen. The outfits hadn't changed much, except that Gwen didn't have that barret in her hair anymore.

"I feels like it, though!" Ben said, his shoulders sagging and his head tilting to the side as he spoke.

"Yeah, we couldn't wait to go on another Road Trip with you!" Gwen agreed with a smile.

"You two sure have been really getting along since the Omnitrix went into S.D.M.," Grandpa noticed aloud, and both Ben and Gwen stiffened at the memory. Gwen had almost died, and Ben couldn't save her. Ben was just now starting to forget his anguish from the time when he thought Gwen was really dead, and still trying to cherish the fact that she was still very much alive. Ben felt a few tears sting his eyes, and Grandpa realized he had just reopened a fresh wound. "Ah... Aw, I'm sorry, Ben... I hadn't realized..."Max couldn't find the words as he imbraced his grandson, and Gwen joined in to make it a group hug. "I'd forgotten you still blamed youself. But, come on, cheer up, Sport. It's Summer Vacation!" Max grinned, and Ben wiped his eyes and smiled sadly. "I've already got the things you two packed, so come on," Max stood up and the three of them got inside the Rust Bucket.

Ben and Gwen had missed it, even if it was just an old falling-apart RV. Gwen and Ben both reached to claim the top bunk bed, and they looked at eachother for a few seconds.

"Go ahead..." Ben sighed to Gwen, putting his hands in his pockets. Gwen squealed and jumped onto the top buck of the bunk bed.

Max started the engine, and they took off.

"We're gonna stop by your parent's houses for a little bit, okay?" Max said, looking at the two from his rearview mirror. They nodded with a smile.

Serena stopped abruptly in shock upon what she was seeing. Her house... _Her house!_ Half of it was blown to pieces! There were two Police Cars, a Firetruck, and an Ambulence, all of their lights and sirens flashing. Serena ran forward, but was stopped by a Policeman.

"This is dangerous, you need to keep your distance," he spoke kindly behind the rough-looking exterior.

"_I live here!_" Serena shrieked, pushing him aside, and ran through her front door, ducking under the yellow tape. "Dad? Dad?!" she called, coughing and covering her mouth as the clouds of dust came down from a movement directly above her- "My room!" Serena realized, and raced up the stairs to find two policmen indeed in her room.

"Who are-?"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Serena yelled very loudly, slapping the things they had picked up out of their hands, tears falling from her eyes as she demanded that they get out- She noticed something shining through the dirt and rubble... One of the policemen noticed it too, and reached down to pick it up. "_Don't you dare touch that!!_" Serena yelled, pushing him away from it. She picked up the Saphire Amulet, and saw her reflection in it. She was relieved that atleast _this_ wasn't harmed by the explosion... Serena placed it in her pocket sadly.

She noticed a picture had fallen from the wall. She picked it up, shaking the shards of broken glass from the frame, and looked at it. The only picture of her mother that her father never had. The picture was torn, broken... The tears wouldn't stop coming, now. Serena collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

One of the policemen helped her up, but she began running down the stairs after realizing they hadn't found her father yet.

"Dad?! Dad! _Dad!_" Serena yelled, but was taken out of the house. "_Dad! DAD!_" Serena yelled desperately, trying to get back into her house to look for her father again.

"We're searching for you father right now. Calm down, just calm down." The policeman said, placing his hand on her shoulder. Serena looked at him with a fairly intimidating amount hatred and despise.

"Calm down? _Calm down?!_" Serena asked him sharply, turning on him. "_How can I calm down when my own father might be dead?!!_" Serena yelled at him, the tears she had had inside for so long bursting out in rather large amounts. "I am _NOT_ just going to sit here while you look for him! My father might be dead, _and I have no where to go!_" Serena yelled, standing up from where the policeman had had her sit down.

"Don't you have an uncle?" he asked her, and her eyes widened.

"No! I'm not living with him! _I'm not living with __him_" Serena advanced forward with such a feirce look in her eyes it caused the policeman to start taking a few steps back. "I refuse to!" Serena shrieked, her tears falling even faster.

"I understand what you're feeling right now, but-"

"No! You _dont!_! You'll _never_ understand! _Never!!_" Serena sobbed, and clutched her arms together tightly as she fell to her knees. "This place is my home... My _Santuary_... This is the only place I've ever felt right at. Now it's gone... It's _gone!_ I don't have another place to go that will accept someone like _me_!" Serena burried her face in her hands, muffling her sobs slightly. "No one except my father could understand!" Serena looked back up at the Policeman, her tear-stained face glistening in the sunlight. She was shaking as if it were nearly 30 degrees outside.

The Policeman offered her a handkerchief, but she didn't take it. She just sat there, waiting for the others to come out to tell them if they found her father or not. The crunching of footsteps signaled the return of the other police men, followed by the doctors and firefighters. Serena turned around after she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

"Serena Williams?" the older-looking doctor asked, and Serena nodded.

"We've found your father, Serena. We're so sorry to say this, especially to someone of your age, but... he died, we think from suffocation, during the explosion. We found his body buried under a fairly large pile of remaints of the house." Serena's eyes widened as far as they could go as the doctor's companion spoke to her. "We're very sorry." he finished, and Serena was still, except for the uncontrollable trembling, staring into space.

Even then, the tears flowed quickly. Her mother had died when she was six years old, and now her father was dead. She was, for the first time in a long time, breaking.

"I want to see his body," Serena spoke after a few minutes of silence. She staggered to her feet, and the policeman led her to the spot where the hallway would be, where a body was lying facing the ceiling, freshly dug out from the pile of rubble next to it. Serena looked at her father's face in absolute shock. His eyes looked back up at her, unseeing, and she knew it was him. Even though he was dead, his eyes still reflected her face in them. She knew in an instant that her father was truly, without a doubt, gone. Forever.

The doctors took his body and covered it. Serena did not notice as they carried him away, she did not notice as the policemen led her out of her house, and she did not notice as they drove away. But, she did in fact notice when the policemen discussed about where to take her.

"Serena has an uncle, I've even talked with him. He's a very nice man."

"Didn't you hear her earlier? I suggested that her uncle took her into his custody, but she flipped out. She refuses to live with him."

"It's still the best."

"Yes, I agree."

"_I don't,_" Serena growled, glaring at the two men. "I won't go."

"Serena, please, don't make this hard for us."

"I won't go!" Serena yelled, backing away from them. The slightly taller policeman stepped forward, making to comfort her, but only made her back away further. "You can't make me!" she yelled again, and ran faster than anyone could have expected.


	3. Chapter 3

Gwen, Ben, and Max all waved to Gwen's parents as they stepped into the Rust Bucket, Gwen's parents shouting, "We love you, honey! Stay safe!" And Gwen yelling back, "Love you, too!" and waving through the open window as they drove off. Max looked at the clock, and it read 7:51.

"It's already almost eight." Ben sighed as he flopped down into the front passenger seat.

"Sorry, Sport, I didn't expect to have lunch at you parent's house, then dinner at Gwen's." Max said with an uncomfortable laugh, looking at him. Gwen closed the window, and suddenly felt like something was going to happen soon... She saw flashes of someone in the middle of the street... Being hit by a car... She closed her eyes, trying to make the image clearer, but the image only faded away-

"Gwen, are you asleep?" Ben's voice snapped Gwen out of her thoughts, and she gasped as her eyes jolted open. There was a silence as Ben stared at her, his expression changing from curious to worried. "Are you okay?" he asked her, and she sighed. Max was staring at her as well.

"I wasn't sleeping, and I'm fine. I've just got this totally weird feeling that something's gonna happen tonight..." Gwen's voice trailed off as that same feeling seemed to swallow her again. Ben and Max exchanged looks, and then Gwen gasped. "Grandpa, lookout!" Gwen shrieked, pointing ahead of them. Max looked at the road, and saw someone standing there, and he slammed his foot against the breaks. His tires screeched as they skidded to a hault, feeling something collide with the vehicle.

Serena's eyes widened as the moblie home screeched to a hault at the last second, and felt it knock her off of her feet, sending her flying. She landed a few feet away, rolling onto her side, and let out a cry in pain as her head felt as though it was going to split open. She heard footsteps approach her, then blacked out.

"Oh my God! Ben, it's Serena! From our school!" Gwen said, clapping both of her hands to her mouth. Ben took a closer look, and gasped.

"It _is_ Serena!" Ben said, and Max carried Serena into the Rust Bucket, where he laid her down on the bottom bunk of the bed. "Shouldn't we call 911?" Ben asked after a few long moments of staring at Serena, and Max nodded. Just then, something aired on the television that caught all of their attention... 

"We have just received news that a local man here in Belltown has died in his own home after an explosion that caused more than half of the house to collapse. Paramedics and Police have confirmed that Johnathan Williams died of suffocation after being trapped under a large pile of remaints of his two-story home. His daughter, Serena Williams, went into shock when seeing his body at the scene and refused to go with the police to find a new home. Here's an interview with the policemen at the scene." the anchor woman said.

"Serena ran up to the house and went in, knowing it could collapse further any second."

"Once she saw my colleague and I in her room, she sort of lost her temper. She pactically screamed at us to 'get out of her room', and when I tried to pick up a necklace from the floor, she shoved me away from it."

"Serena broke down crying, then became unresponsive for a few minutes, but right when I mentioned sending her to her uncle's to stay, she started yelling, 'I won't go! You can't make me!' and then, she ran from the scene. We've been searching, but no one's found her yet."

Gwen, Max, and Ben all stared at the television in shock, then looked back at Serena as she shifted on the bed. She opened her eyes and sat up, then looked up at the three Tennysons.

"Ben? Gwen?" Serena asked, her eyes wide, looking back and forth between Ben and Gwen. Gwen hugged Serena, who froze.

"We're so sorry about your father, Serena." Gwen said, and Serena pushed her away slightly. Gwen backed off a bit, and Serena stared at them with fear and slight anger.

"Don't you dare call the police!" she said to them, standing up. "Don't!" she told them loudly.

"Serena, your family must be worried about you." Max said gentley.

"I have an uncle, but I don't consider him family." Serena said, looking away. "Him and I never got along."

Max paused, his face hardening with thought, then looked back at Serena with a smile, saying, "Do you want to stay with us, then?" Ben and Gwen exchanged surprised glances, and looked back and forth between Max and Serena. Serena stared at Max, trying to comprehend what he had asked her... Then, she smiled. It was the only time Ben and Gwen had ever seen her smile, and they were surprised.

"Sure." Serena replied, and Max pulled out the sofa into an extra bed.

"Serena, what about your head?" Gwen asked, and Serena felt her head for a bump or a soft spot. She didn't feel anything. "You're not in pain?" she asked her again, and Serena shook her head. The three Tennysons exchanged glances, then Serena sat down on the sofa-bed. Max got back behind the wheel, and they drove off again. After hours of driving, they came to rest at a campsite where many others on vacation were already settled in. Serena took out her mother's Amulet once she was sure the others were asleep, and put it around her neck. She wiped away her tears, and fell asleep as well.

She didn't know whether she was dreaming or awake... She was running from a burning building at her father's side... She was crying in his lap... She was holding onto her mother's amulet tightly... _Mother..._

_Mother! No, don't go in there! Don't go! DON'T GO!_

"DON'T GO!" Serena screamed, and sat upright in the bed. Gwen yelled and sat up, hitting her head on the ceiling in the process. Ben jumped and fell out of bed. Serena closed her eyes, clutching her head, forcing her tears away. She refused to cry again.

"What's with all the yelling?" Max asked, sitting up in bed, startled. Serena looked at them, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry for waking you." Serena hiccupped, covering her mouth with both hands to muffle her cries. She couldn't keep her tears in anymore, she just couldn't. She weakly got up out of bed, and went outside to calm herself down. Gwen and Ben peeked outside from the window, and Max noticed a small book had fallen from Serena's side as she had gotten up. He picked it up, and examined the title cover. It looked familiar... Like Gwen's first spellbook... His eyes widened, and he dropped it in surprise, causing Ben and Gwen to look over curiously.

"It's nothing." He told them, and the two cousins exchanged glances before going back to bed.

Serena came back in an hour later, and noticed her book on the floor. She quickly picked it up and clutched it tightly in her hands.

"Serena, can we talk?" Max's sudden voice startled her, and she turned around with wide eyes. Serena hesitated, then nodded slowly after seeing the seriousness in Max's expression. "That book." He said again, pointing to the small book in her hands. "It's a spellbook." He said, and Serena's heart skipped two beats.

"H-how do you...? You can...?" Serena's tongue twisted in knots as she searched for lost words... "You can read it?"

Max shook his head. "No, but I've seen a spellbook just like that." He told her.

"You've seen the spellbook before?" Serena asked, and Max nodded. "Where?"

Max shook his head, and gave her a smile. "I'm going to get something to make for breakfast. If Ben and Gwen wake up before I'm back just tell them where I am, alright?" He said, opening the door, and Serena nodded slowly. He left, and Serena just stared after him.

_How could he know? I haven't met another magician since..._ Serena shook her head, closing her eyes. She sat back down and looked at her book. She opened it up to a random page, and read from then on, but the words didn't sink in. She just reached halfway through her eighth page when Ben woke up.

"Hey, where's Grandpa?" Ben asked sleepily, sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes.

Serena glanced back at Ben for a moment, before replying, "He went to get something to eat."

"Aw man, I miss my mom's cooking already..." Ben sighed, and then noticed what Serena had in her hands. She closed the book, shoved it quickly into her pocket without a second's hesitation, and went outside again.

Gwen yawned and woke up at that moment as she heard the door shut, and rubbed her eyes, asking, "Where's Grandpa?"

Ben replied, then explained what he had seen Serena holding. Gwen's eyes widened, and she immediately dug into her bag to make sure her book was there. She grasped something small... The book. She took it out, and she and Ben exchanged glances.

But just at that moment, a shrill, drawn-out scream echoed from outside. Ben and Gwen immediately jumped down from their beds and ran outside, and saw a little boy trying to free his twin sister from the grasp of a large, hideous alien. The alien merely swatted him away, and tightened it's grip on the little girl. It leaned it's head closer to the little girl's face, it' reptillian tongue snaking it's way around her neck and head, inhaling her scent. She clenched her eyes tightly shut, turning her face away from it, tears dripping down her cheeks as she shook in fear of being killed.

Ben held the Omnitrix out infront of himself with a determined look on his face.

"I'm going Hero!" Ben exclaimed, twisting the dial and hitting the switch. There was a bright flash of green light, practically blinding Gwen and Serena, and there stood XLR8. He sped forward as a blue and black blur to the naked eye, striking at the alien with such speed that it twisted three times to the right. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" Ben yelled as XLR8 in a high, snake-like voice.

The alien growled, and raced forward, ready to attack and kill. The little girl screamed loudly, crying for her mother. XLR8 ran ten feet to his left, causing the alien to miss him completely. He sped past the alien, this time grabbing the little girl and placing her on the ground gentley.

Serena rushed to the little girl's side to comfort her.

He sped toward the alien again, about to strike, when it swung it's large arm and hit him directly, knocking him into the air. Gwen raised her right arm, her hand glowing blue, and shot a bright electric beam, but missed. The alien looked at Gwen, and roared angrily as it ran at her. Gwen turned to run and got caught by the branch of a tree, unable to free herself.

_Come on, Ben, this is no time for a nap!_ Gwen thought as the alien got nearer to her. It raised an arm, and Gwen screamed. Just before it's claws made contact with her flesh, there was an explosion, and the alien was forced off of the ground and thrown fifteen feet away. It rolled onto the ground, skidding to a hault on it's frontside, unconscious. Gwen looked around for the source of what had saved her...

Serena stood with her arms outstretched straight infront of her, with the heels of her palms touching eachother. A purple glow was flickering away from her hands as she stared at the alien with an angry look in her eyes.

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized that Serena was indeed a fellow Sorcerer. Serena's arms fell limp to her sides as she looked at the alien.

"That's what happens when you try to hurt someone I've known for years." Serena said with a slightly weak tone in her voice. Then, a low beeping noise came from XLR8, and with a flash of red light, Ben now lay on the ground, still unconscious. Gwen ripped herself from the grasp of the tree, running to her cousin.

"Ben!" she exclaimed, going to her knees at Ben's side, her eyes wide in fear that he might be very hurt. Ben winced, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Uh...? Gwen?" Ben murmurred, sitting up, and Gwen hugged him tightly.


	4. AAEEIIII! AUTHOR'S NOTICE!

AAAAAEEEIIIIIIII!!!! Oh my GOSH! It's been SO LONG since I've updated any of these fanfics!! If there is anyone who hasn't given up on me, I am so sorry!!! I totally forgot the login information to this account, and thanks to internet issues, I couldn't have it sent to me!

Today I randomly wanted to login to review a fanfic I liked, and I wasn't paying ANY attention when I typed in the e-mail and password. Next thing I knew, I was all confused, cause it didn't look like my new account. I realized, it was this one! My old one!

So, yeah!

But, just to be clear, I have given up on most of my fanfics, cause I don't know what to do with them anymore.

The ones I've given up on completing are:

Different Worlds (I know! I'm sorry! But just to humor people, I'll say how it ends. Mina dies, the demon tries to kill the Sohma household, Mina's spirit stops her, then Mina comes back to life and they live happily ever after!)

Loyalty (What's-her-name, the girl Howl saves, turns out to be Howl and Sohpie's daughter, which is why he's so drawn to her. She gets sent to the past to try to change something to stop Howl from leaving her and Sophie in the future, causing Sophie to give up on life.)

Return to the Spirit World (I don't even remember WHY I wrote that one…..)

Not Alone (Again, I don't know why I started it, nor how I'm ending it.)

So, yeah. I might start KHIII again, but the one I'm focusing on is Ben10: Birthrite.


	5. Chapter 4

Max came back half an hour later and made breakfast. Like usual, it only looked appetising to him. Serena poked her fork at it, noticing that the white clumps were bug larvae, and nearly gagged just at the smell. Max had already began to eat, while the three children just stared at it. Serena, instead of eating right away, started drinking her glass of water.

"Come on, eat up, it's good for you." Max said, taking his now empty plate to the sink and washed it. Serena snuck a peek at a second spellbook of hers, and made a motion with her right hand, unnoticed by her two companions as they still sat staring at the food in disgust. She murmurred something under her breath, and the food slowly turned into something more edible, but still looked exactly the same. She took a bite, and Ben and Gwen both stared at her with wide eyes as she ate slowly. She made two more slight movements with her right hand, muttering the same thing twice more, and whispered:

"_Try it, now_."

Ben and Gwen looked at eachother, both confused yet curious as to what Serena meant, and each took a bite. Their eyes widened, and they both began to eat slowly, trying to pretend like they weren't exactly enjoying it, as to not give away anything suspiscious, and Serena took her plate to the sink. Max raised an eyebrow at Serena, who shrugged slightly and washed her plate as well.

"So... You're a Sorcereress?" Gwen asked, as they drove down an empty highway half an hour after breakfast, looking at Serena.

"Yes. I'm the only one in my family since my great-grandfather," Serena replied, looking back at Gwen and Ben with an unreadable expression. "And I guess that you're one as well?" Serena asked Gwen, who nodded with a small smile.

"Yep! It was almost a year ago when I first found out!" Gwen said, and Serena looked at Ben.

"You... Ben. You turned into Aliens because of the... What's it called, again?" Serena asked, her empty eyes almost freezing Ben on the spot yet again.

"The Omnitrix," He replied stiffly, nodding. "I got it about a year ago," He smiled, holding the watch infront of him in pride, apparently recovering from the chill Serena's stare sent down his spine.

"How many aliens can you turn into now?" Serena asked again, a slight hint of intrigue in her voice beyond the monotone.

Ben thought for a few moments, before replying with a shrug, "I think about fifteen."

Serena stared at him for a few more seconds before turning her attention back to her other spellbook, which she was studying to teach herself more advanced magic. Ben and Gwen glanced at eachother awkwardly, then returned to their own tasks.

An hour passed, and Gwen and Ben were arguing about who would get the wireless controller for a videogame they wanted to play. Serena was still silently reading her book, hardly moving from the spot she was in an hour ago.

"No way! You got the controller last time!" Gwen said, crossing her arms with a scowl at Ben.

"So? It's my videogame!"

"You should still share!"

"Fine! Take the stupid thing if you want it that much!" Ben sighed, handing Gwen the wireless controller, and she smirked.

"I'm SO gonna beat you," Gwen challenged, and Ben smirked back.

"Oh, really? Fine, how about whoever wins five times first has to wash dishes for a week?"

"You got a deal," Gwen grinned, and they began playing. After a few minutes, and a series of yells in near-vistory and near-loss, Gwen won, and she stuck her tongue out at Ben. "It's 0 to 1."

After the next game, Ben won, and he tugged on his bottom eyelid, sticking out his tongue in return to Gwen. Then, during the final round, when Ben and Gwen were tied 4 to 4, neither of them were winning or losing to eachother by much. Then, Ben won.

"Ha ha! Yeah! I won! Woo-hoo!" Ben cheered, and did a victory dance, while Gwen pouted. "Hey, Serena, you wanna play?" Ben asked once he sat back down, and Serena looked up from her book.

"Maybe later."

Ben shrugged, then looked at the spell book. "How can you read that language?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion once seeing the text. Serena shrugged.

"Knew it from birth."

Ben raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly impatient at her short answers. "But how?"

"Just do."

Ben's left eyebrow twitched. _'That's really getting annoying...'_

"Ben, she's still reading. Be respectfull and leave her be," Max said as they drove down an empty highway, and Ben shrugged again. He layed down on the bottom bunk of the bed, grabbing his MP3 player. After an hour of listening, he sat back up, stretching, and saw Gwen on her laptop and Serena curled up in a ball, asleep on her bed, her spellbook tucked under her pillow.

Max pulled into a gas station, and began filling up the tank, and Ben sat down next to Gwen with a grin.

"What'cha doing?" he asked, and Gwen turned the screen away from him.

"I'm writing in my diary, so, if you don't mind..." her voice trailed off, and Ben immediately stood back up.

"No problem," he said with a nervous laugh, then stepped out of the Rust Bucket with ten dollars in his hands, and looked at Max. "I'm gonna grab some Sodas for all of us," he said, then went into the store and bought a Pepsi for himself, Dr. Pepper for Gwen, 7up for Max, and Root Beer for Serena. After he sat back down, Max started the Rust Bucket again and they drove off down the highway while Ben handed Gwen her soda and placed Max's and Serena's in the fridge.

After yet another hour of doing whatever popped into their minds, Gwen decided to take a nap as well, and Ben began drawing random doodles on a piece of paper.

"What's that?" Serena's voice startled Ben. His head shot up as he gasped in surprise, and he clutched at his pounding chest. "Sorry," she said again, then looked at Ben's drawing.

Ben shrugged, and looked at it, before blushing and crumpling it up before Serena could get a good look at it. Apparently, he had drawn Serena when she was laying down.

Serena felt a smile tugging at her lips as she saw the doodle, but was able to keep her emotionless face.

She sat down next to Ben, a pencil and paper floating into her hands, and she began drawing, too.

Ben watched her quietly, as she drew a small girl holding a stuffed animal.

"You're really good..." he said, in awe at Serena's talent, and she gave him the slightest smile.

"So are you," she told him, and he grinned.

"Thanks!" he said.

The Rust Bucket slowed to a stop at another campsite. Gwen was asking Serena questions about her magic, how she found out, what age she was, the exact incident prior to her family informing her of the secret... Serena answered, but the answers left something to be desired.


End file.
